When I rise on clear mornings, the dark pre-dawn sky is pierced
by the beauty of a bright star throbbing like a living diamond.
Joyful hope fills my soul and my spirit sings as the star reminds
me of Christ, the bright and morning star.
This is an appellation that Christ gave Himself in His penultimate
words to believers: 'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to
you about these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring
of David, the Bright and Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16, NKJV).
Christ's self-ascribed title as "the Bright and Morning
Star" creates a rich mental tapestry of intricately interwoven threads:
Christ's presence at the dawn of creation, Christ's incarnation
in fulfillment of biblical prophecy. the Magi's adoration as the
first fruits of the nations' worship. and Christ's return at the
culmination of His Kingdom.
The morning star that seems to pulse in silent rhythm reminds
me of the morning stars that sang together in sheer joy at the creation
of the world.
God asks Job: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of
the earth?" and adds. "When the morning stars sang together" (Job 28: 4, 7). Realizing the limits
of his finitude, Job is appropriately shamed and silent. He wasn't
present at creation.
Christ, however, was.
John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
as with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with
God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was
made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light
of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).
The morning star shining in the darkness before dawn reminds
me of the light that came into this dark world. That light is the
Word through which all things were made at creation, when the morning
stars sang for joy.
Seeing the morning star also reminds me of a delightful moment
in Old Testament history, Balaam's involuntary prophecy.
In the book of Numbers, we read that the Amorites came against
Israel under the leadership of their king, Sihon. The Amorites were
not weak; they had recently overcome the Moabites and taken a great
deal of their land. But God gave the Israelites the victory as well as the Amorites'
land.
And the Israelite victory over Sihon and the Amorites was not
a fluke. When Og, the king of Bashan. brought his people against
the Israelites, God proceeded to grant Israel another rousing victory
and even more land.
Enter Balak, the king of the Moabites. Balak is shaking in his
boots. The Bible says that "Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people
because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of
the children of Israel" (Num. 22:3).
Moab was "exceedingly afraid" and "sick with dread." No
wonder! How could Moab hope to overcome the conqueror of their conquerors?
Realizing that military might is powerless against the Israelites,
Balak decides to bring the metaphysical heavy guns to the front.
He sends for the prophet Balaam.
Despite warnings from the Lord via a dream and a donkey, Balaam
travels with the Moabite emissaries and meets Balak. And, in spite
of Balak's best efforts to set the stage for a spectacular curse
pronouncement against Israel, Balaam is capable only of uttering
a series of increasingly affirming blessings.
One of the most beautiful of all the Old Testament prophecies
concerning the coming Messiah is found in Balaam's fourth prophecy,
when Balaam involuntarily prophesies of the coming King of Kings:
"I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near:
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of
Israel" (Num. 24:17a).
As in Revelation 22: 16. the star is linked to Israel with clear
implications regarding the royal line of David.
A cursory reading of Numbers might make it seem as if Balak was
the driving force behind efforts to bring down Israel or that Balaam
was a helpless pawn in God's plan, but other passages give a glimpse
into Balaam's motivation and character.
In 2Peter 2, Peter describes the depravity of false teachers,
saying, "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following
the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with
a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet" (vv. 15-16).
And in the apocalyptic letter to the compromising church at Pergamos,
Christ says, "But I have a few things against you. because you have
there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to
put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality" (Rev. 2:14).
Balaam was depraved and greedy. He loved the "wages of unrighteousness."
He was a false teacher who contributed to Israel's sins by instructing
Balak on the most effective methods for placing "a stumbling block"
in the path of the people of Israel.
Remarkably, these two New Testament references to Balaam appear
in close connection with the two other New Testament references
to the morning star. Before Peter describes destructive doctrines
and the doom of false teachers in 2 Peter 2, he concludes the preceding
chapter with a beautiful description of the trustworthiness of God's
Word.
In 2 Peter 1: 19, he writes:
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well
to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts."
And just a few verses after Christ's criticism of those who hold
to the false doctrine of Balaam in Revelation 2, Christ provides
this vivid promise to the faithful:
"And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--
'He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels --
I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the
morning star, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
to the churches" (Rev. 2:26-29).
These two New Testament references to the morning star are full
of hope for a victorious future in which believers will experience
the fullness of blessing in Christ and share in His rule over the
nations.
Commenting on Revelation 2:28 on p. 73 of More Than Conquerors,
William Hendriksen writes, "As the morning star rules the heavens,
so believers will rule with Christ; they will share in His royal
splendour and domination. The star is always the symbol of royalty,
being linked with the scepter (Nu. 24:17; cf. Mt. 2:2)."
In his commentary on Revelation 2:28 in The Book of Revelation:
A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament
Commentary), G.K. Beale notes how similar patterns in it and 2 Peter 1: 17-19
pair the Numbers allusion with the messianic Psalm 2. Like Hendriksen,
Beale associates the morning star with the messianic reign and the
scepter. He writes, "The application...to believers indicates
that they will participate in this reign if they overcome" (pp.
268-269).
The intertwining of these threads is amazing. The wonderful promises
recorded in 2 Peter and Revelation 2, which fill believers with
hope for the final victory, are found in close proximity to references
regarding Balaam. God used that depraved prophet to utter an involuntary
prophecy about the coming Messiah, a prophecy that links royal reign
and sovereignty with a star.
The singular star shining in the east reminds me of the eastern
star that signaled Christ's incarnation. That star very literally
fulfilled Balaam's prophecy and brought the first adoration from
the nations to Christ's feet.
The wise men associated the star with royalty. When they arrived
in Jerusalem, they asked, "Where is He who has been born King of
the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to
worship Him" (Matt. 2:2).
The wise men were products of their age. in the ancient world,
certain stars were considered symbols of sovereignty. Some people
groups began to worship stars as gods and some ancient kings claimed
divinity. Astrology was born in Babylon (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology,
p. 41).
The star I see in the east is actually the planet Venus. It shines
most brightly before sunrise or after sunset, earning it the titles
of "morning star" or "evening star."
Beale writes that Venus as the morning star "was a symbol of
sovereignty in the ancient world and especially in Rome." He explains
that Roman emperors claimed descent from the goddess Venus, Roman
generals constructed temples dedicated to the star, and Roman soldiers
carried standards bearing the star of Venus (p. 269).
When Christ was born in the fullness of God's time, a new star
appeared above the horizon of the Roman world. This star outshone
Roman gods and Roman glories. Emperors would die and the Empire
would fall, but this star represented the infinitely superior and
everlasting kingdom of the King of Kings.
The final manifestation of that kingdom is described in Revelation
21:23-24:
"The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it.
for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And
the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth
bring their glory and honor into it."
The wise men kneeling in adoration of the infant Jesus were the
first fruits of the nations that will one day worship Christ and
bring their glory into His kingdom.
Isaiah prophesied that the "Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising" (Isa. 60:3). This prophecy
weaves the adoration of kings and nations with Christ's light and
2 Peter 1's imagery of the rising morning star.
All of these threads--Christ's contribution to creation, the fulfillment
of Balaam's prophecy in Christ's incarnation, and the Magi's adoration
as the first fruits of the nations' worship--are intrinsically interwoven
with Christ's return and the victorious culmination of His Kingdom.
The book of Revelation focuses on Christ's victorious return and
the complete implementation of His Kingdom. And that focus is at
the forefront of my mind when I see the morning star.
Which brings me back to Christ's words in Revelation 22:16: "I
am
the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
Coming at the end of John's apocalypse, the imagery of Christ
as the Morning Star cannot be separated from the image of Christ
as the returning King on the last day. The vivid imagery of Revelation will come to pass in a reality that will fill unbelievers'
hearts with fear, but filll believers' hearts with joy. Christians
may rest in God's promises and look forward to Christ's return with
joyful anticipation.
The threads twining around the morning star are again apparent
in this verse from the conclusion of Revelation. Here is Christ.
the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last. Here is Christ, who fulfilled prophecy as the long-awaited
Messiah and the true King of Israel. Here is Christ, whose brightness will rise and shine before
the nations, who will bow in submission before His sovereignty.
Here is Christ, who will lead his followers to conquer every foe
and reign with Him in glory.
Beale notes that Christ's title in Revelation 22:16 combines
the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17 with the root prophecy of Isaiah
11:1, 10 "concerning the messianic king's triumph over his enemies
at the end of time" (p. 1146). Beale also sees an allusion to the
opening verses of Isaiah 60, part of which I quoted earlier in connection
with the worship of nations:
"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon
you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness
the people;
But the LORD will arise over you.
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness
of your rising" (Isa. 60:1-3).
Christ as the fulfillment of messianic prophecies and as the
Davidic King affirms what is sometimes called the "already and not
yet" aspects of Christ's reign, or what theologians call the "inaugurated
and future" fulfillments. Christ's kingdom "already" came with His
first advent, when He accomplished all that was necessary for our
salvation; but His Kingdom has "not yet" come into the fullness
that will be implemented at His second advent.
In his commentary on these two aspects, Beale notes further intertwining
of the morning star passages:
"That both inaugurated and future fulfillments are intended here
is apparent from the use of the dawn of a new day or age as a metaphorical
association of 'the bright morning star.' Christ has begun a new
redemptive day, which he will culminate at his final return. This is also pointed to by 2 Pet. 1:17-19, where
'the morning star' is synonymous with the dawning day, both possibly
metaphors for the inauguration of the OT 'prophetic word' in Christ's
first coming" (p. 1147).
Seeing the morning star reminds me that Christ has already come
and accomplished everything needful for my salvation. And it reminds
me that--although His kingdom is not yet complete--He soon will come
again in glory to usher in the fullness of that kingdom.
Then hopeful joy fills my heart and--with the hymn--my spirit sings,
"How Bright Appears the Morning Star!"
Philip Nicholai, a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the Protestant
Reformation, wrote the words and music to that beloved hymn. Nicholai
was driven out of his first charge by mercenary troops of the Spanish
Counter-Reformation. He fled to the Catholic city of Cologne, where
he ministered to Lutheran house churches that met in secret. He
became Court Preacher for the Count of Waldeck in 1588, and he became
a pastor in Unna, Westphalia, in 1596. While he served in Westphalia.
the bubonic plague was sweeping across Europe. Hundreds of his parishioners
died. Seeing 30 graves dug in a single day inspired him to pen the
words to his famous hymn. The song first appeared in his book, Joyous
Mirror of Eternal Life, published in 1599 (www.cyberhyrnnal.org). An English translation appears in the
section of hymns regarding Christ's birth found in the blue 1959
Psalter Hymnal (#336).
When I read the words of the hymn, I feel an affinity with Philip
Nicolai. Although my suffering cannot compare with the losses that
triggered his words of praise. perhaps I share some of his thoughts
and feelings when viewing the morning star.
The hymn focuses on Christ's incarnation, with a line in the
first stanza alluding to Isaiah 11: 1 and indirectly to Balaam's
prophecy: "O Righteous Branch, O Jesse's Rod!" A line in the second stanza
calls to mind Christ's role in creation and His sovereignty over
it: "The whole creation's Head and Lord." And two lines of the third
stanza bring to mind Christ's victorious return and the worship
of the nations: "Ride on, ride on, great Conqueror; Till all know
Thy salvation."
When I look to the east and see the morning star, these different
threads of biblical truth regarding Christ weave through my mind.
Although my finite mind can see only the tangled back of the tapestry.
I know these threads form a beautiful and unified whole that fills
me with hope.
Just as surely as I know dawn is near when I see the morning
star, I know that the dawn of Christ's return is near. The morning
star's light pierces the darkness of our inter-advental existence
and rekindles the hope of His return and the ultimate dawn.
Mrs. Glenda Mathes lives in Knoxville, Iowa. She is a member of the
Pella United Reformed Church.
